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Abstract:

The present invention provides a cleaning member which can be produced at
low cost and which maintains excellent cleaning performance for a long
period of time. The cleaning member includes a core member, a lower layer
formed through winding a cord member around the core member at the
surface thereof, and an upper layer provided on the outer surface of the
lower layer. The upper layer is formed of at least one fiber layer made
of woven fabric or knitted fabric.

Claims:

1. A cleaning member comprising:a core member,a lower layer formed through
winding a cord member around the core member at the surface thereof,
andan upper layer provided on the outer surface of the lower layer,
wherein the upper layer is formed of at least one fiber layer made of
woven fabric or knitted fabric.

2. A cleaning member as described in claim 1, wherein the cord member is
made of spun yarn.

3. A cleaning member as described in claim 1, wherein the cord member is
made of a thermoplastic elastomer.

4. A cleaning member as described in claim 1, wherein the cord member has
a diameter of 0.5 to 3.0 mm.

5. A cleaning member as described in claim 1, wherein the upper layer is
formed of a plurality of fiber layers, whose materials are identical to
or different from one another.

6. A cleaning member as described in claim 1, wherein the upper layer is
formed of a plurality of fiber layers, whose fabric types are identical
to or different from one another.

7. A cleaning member as described in claim 1, which has a roller shape.

[0003]The present invention relates to a cleaning member for removing
toner, additives, paper dust, etc. and more particularly to a cleaning
member suitable for a cleaning roller for removing toner deposited on a
charge-imparting roller and a photoreceptor employed in a copying
machine, a printer, a facsimile, etc.

[0004]2. Background Art

[0005]Image-forming machines; for example, copying machines, printers, and
complex office-automation (OA) machines having copying and printing
functions, employ a cleaning blade or a cleaning roller. The cleaning
roller removes toner, additives, paper dust, and other foreign matter
deposited on a charge-imparting roller and a photoreceptor, through
contact therewith. When the cleaning roller cannot sufficiently remove
such foreign matter, members such as a charge-imparting roller and a
photoreceptor are damaged, resulting in printed-image failures.
Therefore, the cleaning roller is required to maintain its cleaning
performance for a long period of time.

[0006]Japanese Patent No. 2847524 discloses a charge-imparting apparatus
employing a cleaning member formed of sponge material, and Japanese
Patent Application Laid-open (kokai) No. 2006-064774 discloses a
toner-supplying roller including a cylindrical elastic member and a fiber
layer formed of entangled melt-adhesive fiber.

[0007]In Japanese Patent No. 2847524, a hole is provided in a block of
molded foam, and a core member is inserted in the hole. In Japanese
Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2006-064774, a molded roller is
covered with melt-adhesive fiber, and the fiber-coated roller is heated
again by use of a mold. These processes require a number of production
steps, elevating production cost. In addition, since these rollers do not
successfully hold removed foreign matter, the rollers cannot be used for
a prolonged period of time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008]In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to
provide a cleaning member which can be produced at low cost and which
maintains excellent cleaning performance for a long period of time.

[0009]In a first mode of the present invention for attaining the object,
there is provided a cleaning member comprising:

[0010]a core member,

[0011]a lower layer formed through winding a cord member around the core
member at the surface thereof, and

[0012]an upper layer provided on the outer surface of the lower layer,
wherein the upper layer is formed of at least one fiber layer made of
woven fabric or knitted fabric.

[0013]A second mode of the invention is drawn to a specific embodiment of
the cleaning member of the first mode, wherein the cord member is made of
spun yarn.

[0014]A third mode of the invention is drawn to a specific embodiment of
the cleaning member of the first mode, wherein the cord member is made of
a thermoplastic elastomer.

[0015]A fourth mode of the invention is drawn to a specific embodiment of
the cleaning member of any of the first to third modes, wherein the cord
member has a diameter of 0.5 to 3.0 mm.

[0016]A fifth mode of the invention is drawn to a specific embodiment of
the cleaning member of any of the first to fourth modes, wherein the
upper layer is formed of a plurality of fiber layers, whose materials or
fabric types (i.e., woven and knitted) are identical to or different from
one another.

[0017]A sixth mode of the invention is drawn to a specific embodiment of
the cleaning member of any of the first to fifth modes, wherein the
cleaning member has a roller shape.

[0018]The present invention realizes provision of a cleaning member which
can be produced at low cost and which maintains excellent cleaning
performance for a long period of time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019]Various other objects, features, and many of the attendant
advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the
same becomes better understood with reference to the following detailed
description of the preferred embodiments when considered in connection
with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020]FIGS. 1A and 1B are sketches of a cleaning roller, which is an
embodiment of the cleaning member of the present invention;

[0021]FIGS. 2A and 2D are sketches for illustrating the method of
producing the cleaning roller shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B; and

[0022]FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic enlarged views of a portion of the
upper layer of a cleaning roller.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023]The cleaning member according to the present invention includes a
core member, a lower layer formed through winding a cord member around
the core member at the surface thereof, and an upper layer provided on
the outer surface of the lower layer. By virtue of the lower layer and
the upper layer, toner, additives, paper dust, and other foreign matter
deposited on a member can be suitably removed through contact therewith,
and such a good performance is maintained for a long period of time.

[0024]Hereinafter, taking a cleaning roller as an example of the cleaning
member of the present invention, the present invention will be described
in detail.

[0025]FIGS. 1A and 1B are sketches of a cleaning roller, which is an
embodiment of the cleaning member of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a
cross-section of the cleaning member, and FIG. 11 is a schematic enlarged
view of a portion of the upper layer of the cleaning member.

[0026]As shown in FIG. 1A, a cleaning roller 10 has a lower layer 12
formed through winding a cord member around a core member 11 at the
surface thereof, and an upper layer 13 provided on the outer surface of
the lower layer 12.

[0027]Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the method for producing the cleaning
roller 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B will be briefly described. Firstly, an
adhesive is applied to wool-like spun yarn, which is an example of the
cord member. As shown in FIG. 2A, the cord member is spirally wound
around the core member 11, so that the entire surface of the member 11 is
covered therewith, to thereby form the lower layer 12. As shown in FIG.
2B, knitted fabric is attached and adhered to the lower layer 12, to
thereby form the upper layer 13 on the lower layer 12, whereby the
cleaning roller 10 is produced. As used herein, the term "wool-like spun
yarn" refers to spun yarn having a morphological property corresponding
to wool-like compressibility and resilience.

[0028]The lower layer 12 replaces an elastic layer of a conventional
cleaning member. When the upper layer 13 comes to be in contact with a
contact member, the lower layer 12 is deformed together with the upper
layer 13 in response to the surface shape of the contact member. In other
words, since the lower layer 12 absorbs deformation of the upper layer
13, the surface of the cleaning roller 10 comes into close contact with
the contact member. Then, when the upper layer 13 parts from the contact
member, the pressure applied to the lower layer 12 is released, and the
shape of the roller 10 is returned to the initial shape through
resilience of the lower layer 12. As compared with a conventional
cleaning member, the cleaning roller 10 having the lower layer 12 can be
produced in a simple manner at low cost.

[0029]The lower layer 12 is suitable for holding toner, additives, paper
dust, and other foreign matter deposited on the upper layer 13 provided
on the lower layer 12. Since the wool-like spun yarn which serves as the
lower layer 12 of this embodiment has a rough surface having protrusions
and dented portions, toner and other foreign matter deposited in the
upper layer 13 fall into the dented portions and are held therein. In
addition, because the lower layer 12 is formed through winding wool-like
spun yarn around the core member, toner and other foreign matter also
fall into interspace between spun yarn filaments. Thus, a large amount of
toner and the like can be held by the cleaning member. Therefore, the
cleaning member of this embodiment can maintain excellent cleaning
performance for a long period of time.

[0030]In the present embodiment, the lower layer 12 is produced through
winding wool-like spun yarn around the surface of the core member 11.
However, the production method is not limited thereto. For example,
another type of cord member may be wound around the surface of the core
member 11, to thereby form the lower layer 12. Although no particular
limitation is imposed on the cord member, the member per se preferably
has a predetermined compressibility and resilience. Alternatively, even
when the cord member per se does not have a predetermined compressibility
or resilience, the cord member is wound in a specific manner so as to
attain a predetermined compressibility and resilience, to thereby form
the lower layer 12. The compressibility may be of such a value that, when
the upper layer 13 comes into contact with a contact member, the lower
layer 12 is deformed with the upper layer 13 in response to the surface
shape of the contact member.

[0031]The cord member which serves as the lower layer 12 preferably has a
diameter of 0.5 to 3.0 mm. When the diameter falls within the range, a
thickness, a compressibility, and a resilience of interest can be
attained. When a cord member having a diameter of more than 3.0 mm is
employed, a satisfactory cleaning effect can be attained. However, since
a cleaning roller produced therefrom has a large roller diameter, such a
cleaning roller is not suited for the purpose of downsizing a complex OA
machine. Needless to say, one or more species of cord members having a
diameter of less than 0.5 mm may be wound twice or more around a core
member, so as to attain a thickness, a compressibility, and a resilience
of interest.

[0032]Examples of the cord member include a variety of yarns and threads
and elastomer cords. The term "elastomer cord" refers to an extruded
cord-shape product of an elastomer.

[0033]Examples of the yarn and thread include spun yarn such as wool,
filament thread, long-short complex fiber obtained through combining
filament thread and spun yarn, and bulky fiber obtained through
processing multi-filament threads. These yarns and threads preferably
have an apparent density of 0.2 to 0.6 g/cm3. When the apparent
density is excessively low, the lower layer 12 encounters difficulty in
maintaining the roller shape. The apparent density refers to a value
calculated by dividing the weight of fiber having a large number of pores
by bulk volume obtained from apparent fiber thickness. No particular
limitation is imposed on the material of the yarn and thread, and
examples of the material include polyester, nylon, acrylic material,
rayon, and wool.

[0034]The elastomer cord preferably has a hardness (JIS A) of 80°
or less and a permanent compressive strain of 30% or less, in order to
ensure satisfactory deformation and facilitate resilience; i.e., to
produce a lower layer 12 having good resilience. Specific examples of the
material of the elastomer cord include styrenic elastomer and olefinic
elastomer.

[0035]As shown in FIG. 1B, the upper layer 13 of the present embodiment is
formed of knitted fabric produced through knitting yarns 13A obtained
through twisting fiber filaments 13a. The fiber filament 13a has a
diameter of 5 μm to 100 μm and an aspect ratio (length/diameter) of
100 or more. In the present embodiment, yarn 13A is produced through
twisting fiber filaments 13a.

[0036]The yarn 13A has a very small diameter, differing from the cord
member which serves as the lower layer 12. For example, the diameter
(apparent thickness) is preferably 80 to 500 μm, for the following
reasons. Since the particle size of the toner deposited on a contact
member is, for example, 5 to 10 μm, such a thin yarn is suitable for
scraping the toner of such a particle size. Also, space 14 provided by
knitted yarn 13A having such a diameter effectively scrapes and captures
toner and other foreign matter. In addition, such a diameter enables the
yarn to have sufficient strength for cleaning. When the yarn has an
apparent thickness less than 80 μm, mechanical strength may decrease,
whereas when the apparent thickness is in excess of 500 μm, softness
of the upper layer 13 may be impaired, resulting in a drop in cleaning
performance. Needless to say, both cases are not preferred.

[0037]In the aforementioned knitted fabric, the course width (μm) and
the wale width (μm) are preferably 3 to 10 times the apparent
thickness (μm) of the yarn 13A, particularly preferably 3 to 7 times.
The apparent fiber thickness is not a diameter index (weight per unit
fiber length) represented by d (denier) or dTex (deci-Tex), but an actual
fiber thickness measured under a microscope or the like.

[0038]As shown in FIG. 3A, the course refers to a row of loops 13A' in the
lateral direction (lateral row), and the wale refers to a row of loops
13A' in the longitudinal direction (longitudinal row). The course width
is a width of a lateral row; i.e., the distance between tops of the loops
13A', and the wale width is a width of a longitudinal row; i.e., the
pitch of loops 13A'. When the knitted fabric has a course width and a
wale width which are 3 to 10 times the apparent thickness of the yarn,
the yarns 13A are not completely fixed but can move freely in the lateral
and longitudinal directions. In this state, the yarns 13A can follow
deformation. Thus, toner, paper dust, and other foreign matter deposited
on a contact member can be readily scraped off through contact with the
knitted fabric. Also, knitted fabric having a course width and a wale
width which are 3 to 10 times the apparent thickness of the yarn provides
relatively large spaces 14A. The scraped matter is received in the spaces
14A and readily falls through the spaces 14A into the inside of the upper
layer 13. Thus, the scraped matter can be held in the lower layer 12 in a
large amount. Therefore, the cleaning roller 10 can maintain the cleaning
performance for a long period of time. Notably, knitted fabric having a
course width and/or a wale width which are less than 3 times the apparent
thickness of the yarn does not follow deformation of the yarn 13A and
encounters difficulty in holding the scraped matter, whereas knitted
fabric having a course width and/or a wale width which are more than 10
times the apparent thickness of the yarn follows deformation of the yarn
to an improved extent, but has a decreased contact area with respect to a
contact member, possibly lowering the cleaning performance.

[0040]The cleaning roller of the present embodiment scrapes toner and
other foreign matter deposited on a contact member through movement of
the yarns 13A in a direction of rotation of the roller, to thereby clean
the contact member. Specifically, toner and other foreign matter are
captured by at least a first portion of fiber filaments 13a forming the
yarn 13A, and a second portion of the filaments 13a sustains the first
portion, while the cleaning roller 10 rotates. Thus, the toner and other
foreign matter deposited on the contact member are scraped off, and the
scraped matter falls in the spaces 14 provided by the yarns 13A. As
mentioned above, the scraped toner and other foreign matter further fall
into the lower layer 12, where they are held. Thus, knitted fabric
produced through knitting yarns 13A obtained through twisting fiber
filaments 13a can successfully remove toner, additives, paper dust, and
other foreign matter.

[0041]In the present embodiment, the upper layer 13 is formed from knitted
fabric. Alternatively, the layer may be formed from woven fabric.
Examples of the woven fabric include three essential structures (e.g.,
plain weave, twill weave, and satin weave) and combination weave.

[0042]Preferably, the woven fabric has an interwarp distance (μm) which
is 3 to 10 times the apparent thickness (μm) of the warp, and an
interweft distance (μm) which is 3 to 10 times the apparent thickness
(μm) of the weft. Particularly preferably, the distances are 3 to 7
times the apparent thickness. As shown in FIG. 3B, the distance between
the warps 13B and the distance between the wefts 13C are the distance
between width-direction centers of the yarns adjacent to each other. When
the woven fabric has a distance (μm) between the warps 13B which is 3
to 10 times the apparent thickness (μm) of the warp 13B, and a
distance (μm) between the wefts 13C which is 3 to 10 times the
apparent thickness (μm) of the weft 13C, the warps 13B and wefts 13C
are not completely fixed but can move freely in the lateral and
longitudinal directions, and relatively large spaces 14B are provided.
Therefore, the effects as mentioned in relation to the above embodiment
can also be attained. Notably, woven fabric having a distance (μm)
between the warps 13B which is less than 3 times the apparent thickness
(μm) of the warp 13B or a distance (μm) between the wefts 13C which
is less than 3 times the apparent thickness (μm) of the weft 13C does
not follow deformation of the warp 13B or weft 13C and encounters
difficulty in holding the scraped matter, whereas woven fabric having a
distance (μm) between the warps 13C which is more than 10 times the
apparent thickness (μm) of the warp 13B or a distance (μm) between
the wefts 13C which is more than 10 times the apparent thickness (μm)
of the weft 13C follows deformation of the warp 13B or weft 13C to an
improved extent, but has a decreased contact area with respect to a
contact member, possibly lowering the cleaning performance.

[0043]No particular limitation is imposed on the apparent thickness of the
warps and wefts forming the woven fabric. In the woven fabric, the warp
and the weft may be formed from different materials and may have
different apparent thicknesses.

[0044]The yarn (knitted fabric), warp, and weft (woven fabric) forming the
upper layer 13 are a bundle of fiber filaments. Needless to say, twisted
yarn and knitted yarn may also be employed. So long as the cleaning
performance is not impaired, fiber filaments including fancy fiber
filaments may be bundled. The fiber filaments forming the yarn (knitted
fabric), warp, and weft (woven fabric) preferably have a diameter of 5 to
100 μm. When the filament diameter is less than 5 μm, fiber
strength is insufficient, whereas when the filament diameter is in excess
of 100 μm, softness of the upper layer 13 may be impaired, resulting
in a drop in cleaning performance.

[0045]So long as the cleaning performance is not impaired, the knitted
fabric or the woven fabric may further include other types of fiber
filaments, in addition to the yarn, warp, or weft satisfying the
aforementioned conditions. Examples include a curly fiber filament which
has a diameter smaller than that of the yarn, warp, or weft, or a raised
fiber filament.

[0046]No particular limitation is imposed on the material of the yarn
(knitted fabric), warp, and weft (woven fabric), and examples of the
material include cotton, wool, hemp, silk, polyester, nylon, and acrylic
material. Of these, polyester, nylon, and acrylic material are preferred,
from the viewpoints of durability and cost.

[0047]The upper layer 13 preferably has an apparent thickness of 0.5 mm or
more, since excellent mechanical properties including mechanical strength
and wear resistance can be attained.

[0048]So long as toner and other foreign matter can be effectively
removed, the upper layer 13 may be formed of a plurality of layers in
which a woven fabric layer or a knitted fabric layer are stacked. For
producing the upper layer 13 having a multi-layer structure, a woven
fabric layer and a knitted fabric layer may be stacked. Alternatively,
woven fabric layers may be stacked, or knitted fabric layers may be
stacked. In the case of stacking woven fabric layers, woven fabric layers
made of different materials may be stacked, or those made of the same
material may also be stacked.

[0049]The upper layer 13 is not limited to the aforementioned structures,
and may be formed of pile-weave woven fabric. The pile-weave woven fabric
refers to woven fabric made from base yarn with warp or weft for forming
piles such that piles (uncut or cut) are incorporated into a surface of
the woven fabric.

[0050]The upper layer formed of pile-weave fabric preferably has a
thickness of 0.5 to 3.0 mm. When the thickness is less than 0.5 mm,
deformation of the roller surface is insufficient, whereas when the
thickness is more than 3.0 mm, a satisfactory cleaning effect can be
attained. However, since a cleaning roller produced therefrom has a large
roller diameter, such a cleaning roller is not suited for the purpose of
down-sizing a complex CA machine.

[0051]The single filament of the pile-weave fabric preferably has a
diameter of 5 to 500 dTex, in order to attain strength sufficient for
cleaning. When the single filament has a diameter less than 5 dTex,
mechanical strength may be poor, whereas when the diameter exceeds 500
dTex, softness of the upper layer 13 is reduced, possibly damaging the
contact member. Both cases are not preferred.

[0052]The pile-weave fabric preferably has a filament density of 6,400 to
46,000 filaments/cm2. When the filament density falls within this
range, the upper layer 13 can sufficiently hold foreign matter.

[0053]No particular limitation is imposed on the material of single
filaments forming the pile-weave fabric, and examples of the material
include polyamide, polyester, acrylic material, and polyolefin.

[0054]When the cleaning roller 10 of the present embodiment is employed,
toner and other foreign matter deposited on a contact member are scraped
off by means of the upper layer 13. The toner and other foreign matter
deposited on the upper layer 13 fall into the lower layer 12, where they
are held. The thus-held matter does not return to the upper layer 13.
Therefore, the cleaning roller 10 of the present embodiment effectively
removes toner and other foreign matter on the contact member for a long
period of time.

[0055]If the cleaning performance of the cleaning roller 10 of the present
embodiment is lowered as a result of use over a long period of time, the
lower layer 12 is removed from the core member 11. Since the lower layer
12 can be readily removed, the core member 11 can be reused. Through
reuse of the core member 11 removed from the cleaning roller 10, another
cleaning roller 10 can be produced at lower cost.

[0056]The cleaning member of the present invention is suitable for a
cleaning roller, particularly for a cleaning roller for removing toner
deposited on a charge-imparting roller and a photoreceptor employed in
copying machines, printers, facsimiles, etc.

EXAMPLES

[0057]The present invention will next be described in detail by way of
examples, which should not be construed as limiting the invention
thereto.

Example 1

[0058]An adhesive (Saivinol HM-680, product of Saiden Chemical Industry
Co., Ltd.) was applied onto wool-like yarn (acrylic fiber) (diameter: 1.5
mm), and the yarn was wound around a core member (φ: 6.0 mm), to
thereby form a lower layer on the core member. Subsequently, the lower
layer was covered with knitted fabric made of 6-nylon (apparent fiber
thickness; 250 μm, course width: about 900 μm, wale width: about
1,100 μm, and apparent thickness: 600 μm), and the fabric was
adhered to the lower layer. The thus-formed roller was cut to pieces
having a predetermined length, to thereby produce cleaning rollers of
Example 1.

[0060]The procedure of Example 1 was repeated, except that an elastomer
cord (diameter; 1.5 mm) formed through molding a thermoplastic elastomer
(Septon 4055, product of Kuraray Co., Ltd.) was used instead of wool-like
yarn, to thereby produce cleaning rollers of Example 3.

Example 4

[0061]An adhesive (Saivinol HM-680, product of Saiden Chemical Industry
Co., Ltd.) was applied onto wool-like yarn (acrylic fiber) (diameter: 1.5
mm), and the yarn was wound around a core member (φ: 6.0 mm). The
wool-like yarn was further wound around the surface of the
adhesive-coated yarn, to thereby form a lower layer. Subsequently, the
lower layer was covered with knitted fabric made of 6-nylon (apparent
fiber thickness: 250 μm, course width; about 900 μm, wale width;
about 1,100 μm, and apparent thickness: 600 μm), and the fabric was
adhered to the lower layer. The thus-formed roller was cut to pieces
having a predetermined length, to thereby produce cleaning rollers of
Example 4.

Example 5

[0062]An adhesive (Saivinol HM-680, product of Saiden Chemical Industry
Co., Ltd.) was applied onto wool-like yarn (acrylic fiber) (diameter: 1.5
mm), and the yarn was wound around a core member (φ: 6.0 mm).
Subsequently, the adhesive-coated yarn was covered with knitted fabric
made of 6-nylon (apparent fiber thickness: 350 μm, course width: about
800 μm, wale width; about 900 μm, and apparent thickness: 800
μm), and the fabric was adhered. The fabric was further covered with
knitted fabric made of 6-nylon (apparent fiber thickness: 250 μm,
course width: about 900 μm, wale width: about 1,100 μm, and
apparent thickness: 600 μm), and the fabric was adhered thereto. The
thus-formed roller was cut to pieces having a predetermined length, to
thereby produce cleaning rollers of Example 5.

[0067]A melamine resin foam piece (product of BASF) was sliced into
rectangular pieces. A hole for receiving a core member was provided in
one rectangular piece. A core member onto which an adhesive had been
applied was inserted to the hole, followed by melt-adhering.
Subsequently, the surface of the rectangular piece was polished to a
roller shape, and the thus-formed roller was cut to pieces having a
predetermined length, to thereby produce cleaning rollers of Comparative
Example 1.

[0068]Steps for producing cleaning rollers of Examples 1 to 3, Examples 6
to 9, and Comparative Example 1 are shown in Table 1.

[0069]As shown in Table 1, the cleaning rollers of Examples 1 to 3 and of
Examples 6 to 9 were produced through a smaller number of steps as
compared with the cleaning rollers of Comparative Example 1. Also, the
cleaning rollers of the Examples were produced from a low-cost material.
Thus, the cleaning roller according to the present invention can be
produced through a smaller number of steps and at low cost.

Test Example 1

[0070]Each of the cleaning rollers of the Examples and Comparative Example
1 was caused to come into contact with a charge-imparting roller which
was in contact with a photoreceptor, at a pressure so as to adjust the
deformation of the cleaning roller to 0.1 mm. Thereafter, a toner (about
0.03 g) was uniformly applied onto an area (width: 100 mm) of the
charge-imparting roller. The photoreceptor was rotated at 300 rpm by
means of a driving motor. In this case, the charge-imparting roller and
the cleaning roller rotate to follow the rotation of the photoreceptor.

[0071]After operation of the driving motor for 15 minutes, the surface of
the charge-imparting roller was observed. When the surface of the
charge-imparting roller had been successfully cleaned, the same operation
was repeated. In the case where no cleaning effect on the
charge-imparting roller was observed, repetition of the operation was
stopped. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0073]As is clear from Table 2, the cleaning members of Examples 1 to 5
exhibit cleaning performance which is at the same or a higher level of
performance of the cleaning rollers of Comparative Example 1
(conventional cleaning rollers). The cleaning rollers of Examples 6 to 9
maintain excellent cleaning performance for a longer period of time, as
compared with the cleaning rollers of Comparative Example 1.

[0074]As described hereinabove, the cleaning roller according to the
present invention can be produced through a small number of steps and at
low cost, and maintains excellent cleaning performance for a long period
of time.

[0075]When the cleaning member of the present invention is formed into a
roller, the roller diameter can be adjusted by modifying the diameter of
the cord member forming the lower layer and without any polishing step.
Thus, the number of production steps can be reduced, and reduction of
production cost and industrial waste can be realized.